
I 










GEX. ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



Death 



OF 



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AT 



BRISTOL, R. I. 



AUGUST 8th, 1885, 



Providence: J. A. & R. A. REID, Printers. 
1885. 



GENERAL U. S. GRANT. 



General U. S. Grant died at Mount Mc- 
Gregor, Saratoga County, N. Y., on Thursday 
morning, July 23, 1885, at eight minutes past 8 
o'clock. The sad tidings were almost instantly 
flashed all over our land, and caused universal 
sorrow. 

Soon after the event became known in Bristol, 
flags were set at half-staff", and the show-windows 
of stores were draped in emblems of mourning. 

At the suggestion of a number of prominent 
citizens, the town council issued the following 

SPECIAL NOTICE. 

The citizens of the town of Bristol are requested to meet at 
Town Hall, this, Friday evening, July 24, 1SS5, at S o'clock, for 
the purpose of making suitable arrangements for the due ob- 
servance of the death and obsequies of General Ulysses S. 

Grant. 

Per Order of the Town Council. 

In response to the above request, a large number 



O DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

of citizens met in Town Hall, at the hour desig- 
nated, and were called to order by Councilman 
John Post Reynolds, Esq., who, by request, acted 
as temporary chairman, and read the call by the 
Town Council. He stated that it was the desire of 
the council that the citizens should take action in 
the matter. 

The meeting then organized by electing John 
Post Reynolds, permanent chairman, and Philip H. 
Coyle, secretary. 

Brief remarks were made by Hon. Samuel P. 
Colt, Hon. Isaac F. Williams, Col. George O. 
Eddy, and Col. George T. French, upon the life 
and eminent services of General Grant, and the 
demonstrations our town had made on similar oc- 
casions of great public grief. Attention was also 
called to General Grant's visit to Bristol, in 1875, 
as the guest of our lamented General Burnside, 
and it was believed to be the wish of every one 
present to honor our dead general by public ob- 
servance upon the day of his funeral. 

A committee of live was elected to report a plan 
of memorial exercises to the meeting, viz. : George 
O. Eddy, Samuel P. Colt, Wm. J. Miller, Isaac 
F. Williams, George T. French. 

The committee immediately retired for consulta- 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 7 

tion, and during their absence the meeting was ad- 
dressed by Judge LeBaron B. Colt, who spoke of 
General Grant's career as a soldier and statesman. 
The committee, through their chairman, Col. 
George O. Eddy, reported the following plan for 
the day of the funeral : 

That thirteen guns be fired at sunrise, on the 
morning of the funeral : 

That a procession be formed upon the Common, 
at 10 o'clock in the morning, composed of veterans 
of the war, the military and civic organizations, 
and the citizens of the town, to make a short 
parade through the principal streets to the Town 
Hall, where appropriate exercises be held ; 

That the bells of the churches and manufactories 
in the town be tolled from the time of starting the 
procession until it reaches the Hall, and minute- 
guns to the number of sixty -three (indicative of 
the age of General Grant) be fired upon the Com- 
mon, under the direction of the Bristol Train of 
Artillery : 

That immediate action be taken to secure some 
public speaker of ability, to deliver a eulogy upon 
General Grant ; that prominent citizens of the town 
be invited to deliver addresses, and take part in the 
exercises of the day ; and that competent vocal 
and instrumental music be secured ; 



8 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

That the citizens be requested to decorate their 
residences and places of business with emblems of 
mourning ; that flags be placed at half-mast, and 
that the Town Hall and other public buildings be 
draped in mourning in honor of our dead hero ; 

That the observances of the day close with a 
national salute of thirty-eight guns, to be fired at 
sunset. 

The report of the committee was, by vote, ac- 
cepted, and the committee was continued, to carry 
out the order of exercises, as reported. 

It was further voted to increase the committee to 
nine, and the following named gentlemen were 
added : Augustus O. Bourn, Wm. T. C. Ward- 
well, Wm. H. Spooner, Henry W. Hayes. 

The committee was empowered to make all 
necessary arrangements, appoint sub-committees, 
and attend to minor details connected with the oc- 
casion, to the end that the day may be appropri- 
ately observed. 

The meeting then dissolved. 

The Committee of Arrangements met immedi- 
ately after the adjournment of the citizens' meet- 
ing, and organized by the election of Col. George 
O. Eddy, as chairman, and Col. George T. 
French, as secretary. 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 9 

The following sub-committees were appointed : 

On Resolutions — Wm. J. Miller, A. O. Bourn, 
S. P. Colt. 

On Programme — Geo. O. Eddy, Henry W. 
Hayes. 

On Invitations — Geo. T. French, S. P. Colt, 
Wm. H. Spooner. 

On Decorations — Henry W. Hayes, Isaac F. 
Williams, Philip H. Coyle. 

On Salutes — Wm. J. Miller. 

On Ringing Bells — Wm. H. Spooner. 

Col. George O. Eddy was designated to preside 
over the exercises in Town Hall, on the day of the 
funeral service. 

The several committees entered upon the dis- 
charge of their duties with commendable zeal, and 
as the day designated for the public funeral ap- 
proached, all was in a state of complete prepara- 
tion. 




THE TOWN - HALL, BRISTOL, R. I. 



The Day— August 8, 1885. 



The day opened auspiciously, the weather being 
all that could be desired, and the plan of exercises 
of the Committee of Arrangements, adopted at 
the citizens' meeting, was inaugurated as follows : 

At sunrise a salute of thirteen guns was fired, on 
the Common, by a detachment of the Bristol Train 
of Artillery. Soon after 10 o'clock a procession 
was formed on the north side of the Common, near 
State Street, in the following order : 

Moore's Band, Gustavus T. Mott, leader. 
Bristol Veteran Association, Col. George O. Eddy, 

commanding. 
Officers of King Philip Steam Fire Engine Co., 

No. 1. 

Committee of Arrangements, Town Council, other 

Town Officers, Orator, and Clergymen. 

Bristol Train of Artillery Veteran Association, 

C. A. Greene, commanding. 

At 10.30 o'clock, as the procession commenced 
to move, the bells of the several churches and 
manufacturing establishments were tolled, and 



12 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

minute-guns were fired. The procession moved 
from the Common to State Street, down State to 
High, down High to Constitution, down Constitu- 
tion to Hope, up Hope to Bradford, up Bradford 
street to Town Hall, where the following services 
were held, Col. George O. Eddy presiding : 

Dirge — by Moore's Band. 

A quartette, consisting of Mrs. George O. Eddy, 

soprano, Mrs. George A. Sherman, contralto, Mr. 

Win. C. Liscomb, tenor, and Col. Joseph B. 

Burgess, bass, with Miss Lena Warren, organist, 

sang with fine effect, 

" Farewell, Father, Friend, and Guardian." 
Solo— By Mrs. Eddy. 
" All our land is draped in mourning, 

Hearts are bowed, and strong men weep ; 
For our loved, our noble leader, 

Sleeps his last, his dreamless sleep; 
Gone forever, gone forever — 

Fallen by our Father's hand ; 
Tho' preserved his dearest treasure, 
Our redeemed, beloved land." 
Chorus By Quartette. 
" Farewell, father, friend, and guardian, 
Thou hast joined the martyr band ; 
But thy glorious work remaineth — 
Our redeemed, beloved land." 

Prayer — By Rev. Alonzo A. Hoyt. 
Infinite Lord : As we are assembled on this 
eventful occasion to memorize the death of our 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 1 3 

country's hero, General Ulysses S. Grant, we 
implore the benign blessings of thy grace to rest 
upon us. We are not here to deify the dead, but to 
bring our tribute of honor to the memory of him 
who became an important factor in the maintenance 
of our free institutions, and wrought victory to our 
nation's arms. In this we recognize thy merciful 
providence and overruling power; and we most 
devoutly render to Thee our heartfelt gratitude, 
that, amid the dark hours of our country's peril, 
Thou did'st raise us up a deliverer. 

Our grateful memories, comprehending the im- 
portant history of this civilized and happy people, 
from the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers to the 
decisive victory of Appomattox, bring to our 
hearts emotions of praise and honor to Thy Great 
Name, for the untold blessings of free national in- 
stitutions. And while we turn our attention to the 
sad event of death, which has laid low the strong 
man, we realize a commingling glow of pleasure 
in the contemplation of the fruitful changes and 
blessings which have so recently fallen to our ex- 
periences : that from Maine to Texas, from Florida 
to California, our whole people join in one com- 
mon interest, and devoutly mourn the death of 
the dauntless hero of our national struggles and 



14 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

victor}-. We rejoice that so soon after the procla- 
mation of emancipation to an enslaved race, the 
surrender of the rebellious faction to our national 
flag, and the establishment of peace to our country ; 
that in the very centre, and through every part of 
the once rebellious district, memorial services are 
this day being held in honor of him who so faith- 
fully and untiringly stood in defence of the stars 
and stripes — the ensign of liberty and civilization. 
And now, gracious God, we most humblv in- 
voke thy rich blessing upon the services of this 
hour. Impart strength and vivacity to those who 
shall address this assembly ; and may their words 
impress our hearts with a deeper sense of our 
obligation to Thee, to our country, and to each 
other. Remember with divine favor these scarred 
veterans. Having been partaker with them in 
their experiences, we can but remember the hard- 
ships and the scenes of blood and carnage which 
they endured. In memory's vision we behold 
again the starry flag that once waved above the 
head of the deceased conqueror, and led us on to 
the fearful conflict. May Heaven grant that these 
brave men may stand as nobly for truth and God 
as they have done for their country's honor. 

Bless those who preside on this occasion, and 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 1 5 

those who chant the sweet and solemn strains of 
national melody. And may the hearts of this 
entire assembly receive deeper imprints of loyalty 
to the free institutions and laws of our country, to 
truth and integrity, to righteousness, to God. And 
at last may we be brought to share the eternal 
riches of Thy grace, and the immortal glory of Thy 
kingdom. Amen. 

Singing — " Peace at Last," by Quartette. 

" Look on the face of our hero, now dead ; 

Gather, _ve mourners, about his dear bed ; 

Sainted and silent, he's draped for the grave, 

He who led onward to victory the brave. 
' Let us have peace ! ' were his words, that have rung 

On through the years echoed still by each tongue. 
' Let us have peace ! ' now life's battle is past ; 

He our great leader, sweet peace at last." 

Chorus. 

" Bright was his watch-word, in God was his trust, 
Now his bright armor lies low in the dust; 
All earthly warfare is over and past, 
He hath now vict'ry and peace at the last." 

Mr. Wm. J. Miller presented and read the fol- 
lowing report, from the committee on resolutions : 

We, the citizens of Bristol, assembled for the 
purpose of joining in the funeral rites in memory 
of General Ulysses S. Grant, being desirous of 
testifying our appreciation of his great services in 
behalf of the republic, and our sorrow at the great 



r 



1 6 DEATH OF GEX. U. S. GRANT. 

loss which the nation has sustained in his death, — 
and that our posterity may know, though but in a 
slight degree, the love and reverence which we, in 
common with the entire nation, bear to him — have 
Resolved, That in his death the nation has lost 
its most illustrious citizen ; one who, exalted to the 
highest positions, and receiving the highest honors 
of his country, discharged with distinguished abil- 
ity and integrity every trust committed to his keep- 
ing. As a soldier, and the great leader of the 
Union hosts, he was signally successful ; and when / 

victory crowned our arms, his magnanimity to his 
foes mitigated the bitterness of defeat, and aided in 
the restoration of fraternal feelings. As a states- 
man, he was firm and sagacious ; as a citizen, 
modest and unassuming, and in his career he justly 
received the world's homage. When fatal disease 
seized upon him, and through the treachery of 
trusted friends misfortune overwhelmed him, it 
was then that his more loving traits of character 
conspicuously shone forth, and drew all hearts unto 
him. How patiently and uncomplainingly he en- 
dured the great physical and mental strain — forget- 
ful of self in his thoughtful care for those whose 
tender ministrations were so grateful to him ! How 
heroically he labored, taxing his fast waning pow- 






MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. I J 

ers, to finish his life work ! And when his work- 
was all done, and well done, he'yielded up his life 
with Christian resignation, and entered into rest ! 

" So sleep the brave who sink to rest, 
With all their country's honors blest." 

Resolved^ That the Town Council be requested 
to cause these resolutions to be entered on the town 
records, and to be suitably engrossed and framed, 
to be forever preserved in the Burnside Memorial 
Hall, in memory of this day. 

Ex-Governor Augustus O. Bourn arose to move 
the adoption of the resolutions, and spoke as fol- 
lows : 

Mr. Chairman : In moving the passage of the 
resolutions, I feel that I express the sentiments of 
every person in this large audience. 

The tolling of bells, the slow booming of can- 
non, the emblems of mourning that surround us, 
testify that a great nation to-day pays its tribute of 
love and respect to a departed hero. 

" Bury the great chief 
With a nation's lamentation. 
Let us bury the great chief 
To the noise of the mourning of a mighty nation, 
Mourning for its chieftain's fall, 
Warriors carry the warrior's pall, 
And sorrow darkens hamlet and hall." 



. 



l8 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

We have met together at this hour to participate 
in the last sad rites to the memory of General 
Grant. As we stand beside his open grave and 
listen to the "• mourning of a mighty nation," and 
view the "sorrow that darkens hamlet and hall," 
we realize that a great chieftain has indeed fallen. 

Great must be the sorrow that bows a nation in 
universal grief. Great must be the affection for 
his memory that pervades the hearts of the people. 

Within our recollection the nation has been sorely 
afflicted in the loss of those for whom its heart beat 
quick. In our affliction to-day, we remember our 
martyred Presidents, Lincoln and Garfield, — Lin- 
coln, whose wisdom conducted the nation through 
the terrible ordeal of the War of the Rebellion, who 
by a stroke of his pen struck the shackles from four 
millions of human slaves, who died a martyr's 
death, but not until he had seen the triumph of our 
country's cause, — Garfield, who fell by the cow- 
ardly hand of a miserable assassin, and whose 
Christian fortitude in his vain struggle for life, ex- 
cited the admiration and the sympathy of the civil- 
ized world. We remember, too, our own beloved 
Burnside, stricken in the prime of life, with scarce 
a moment's warning, while watching and praying 
with us at the bedside of a dying president. 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. IQ 

And now we are called upon to mourn the loss 
of one whose bravery and whose talents enabled 
Lincoln to see the fruition of his hopes, who from 
an humble private citizen rose in a short time to 
command the greatest armies of modern times, who 
saved from destruction this Union that is so dear to 
us all, who was twice elevated to the highest posi- 
tion in the gift of the people, and who, in his last 
lingering sickness, exhibited those traits of charac- 
ter that doubly endeared his name and his memory 
to the American people. 

Seldom has a nation sought to testify its regard 
for a departed hero or statesman as we seek to 
honor his memory. Every part of the land, the 
North and the South, the East and the West, joins 
in the solemn ceremonies at this hour with an 
earnestness that testifies to the deep sincerity of the 
nation's grief. 

The man whose death can thus stir a mighty 
nation to its very depths, in a time of profound 
peace, with nothing to fear from foreign foes or 
domestic agitation, who commanded the love and 
reverence alike of friends and foes, who is lamented 
by the civilized world, could have been cast in no 
common mould. 

It rarely falls to the lot of a nation to produce a 



20 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

man who will be remembered by the ages to come 
as one of the great men of the world — men whose 
labors or whose talents have controlled events that 
changed the entire history of nations or the world. 
History, which is but a record of the lives and ac- 
tions of the great men of every age, reveals to us 
but few, very few names that were not born to die. 
Men are remembered for centuries, not for their 
lineage, not for their professions, not for the posi- 
tions they occupied, but for their deeds. Poets, 
philosophers, warriors, have abounded in every 
age — but how few, alas ! are known to fame. Of 
all the poets that nourished for twenty-five centuries 
after Homer sang his immortal verses — how few 
are known even by name. Of all the philosophers 
that have flourished since Socrates spoke his al- 
most divine words, scarce a vestige remains. 

We remember Alexander the Great, not as the 
son of Philip, or the king of Macedon, but as the 
impetuous soldier who led his armies from con- 
quest to conquest, until all the kingdoms of the 
world lay prostrate at his feet. We remember 
Ceesar, not as the Emperor of Rome, the destroyer 
of the republic, but as the invincible commander 
of Rome's victorious legions in the greatest war of 
conquest she ever waged. We remember Charles 



/ 



v ^ 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 21 

Martel, not as the mayor of the palace, not as the 
founder of a race of French kings, but as the hero 
whose sledge-hammer blows drove back the hitherto 
irresistible tide of Moslem invasion that threatened 
to engulf all Europe and to convert it at the point of 
the sword to the creed of Mohammed. The name 
of Napoleon will be remembered not alone that he 
was emperor, but that he was a great master in the 
art of war, and at the head of her armies raised 
the name of France to the highest pinnacle of 
glory. 

As the centuries roll on, and the history of our 
country shall be written by impartial posterity, 
the names of Washington, Lincoln, and Grant 
will shine with increased lustre, and will shed a 
halo of glory on their contemporaries and the age 
in which they lived. They will be remembered not 
alone that they were presidents, each for a second 
term, but for their great services to the republic. — 
Washington, equally renowned as a warrior and a 
statesman, that he conducted his country success- 
fully through the memorable contest with one of 
the greatest military empires of the age, and by his 
wise counsels shaped largely both the form of our 
government and its policy, as they exist to-day. — 
Lincoln, that to his broad and sturdv statesman- 



22 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

ship we owe in a great degree the preservation of 
that which Washington founded, — Grant, that 
with an untiring energy and an iron will he led our 
armies from victory to victory, and brought the 
greatest war of modern times to a successful issue. 
And all, not for conquest, not for glory, not for self, 
but solely that his country might be preserved, and 
that our glorious system of constitutional liberty 
might be transmitted, in all its beauty and all its 
symmetry, unimpaired to posterity. 

As citizens of that great Republic that he loved 
so well, and whose glory, prosperity, and honor 
were so dear to him, we participate in these sad 
rites, testifying thereby not only our affection for 
his memory and our appreciation of his services, 
but our love and our devotion to our country, its 
government and its institutions, its history and its 
traditions, its people and its mission to the nations. 

A great trust is committed to our charge. Our 
fathers suffered untold privations that they might 
firmly establish their liberties, and this system of 
government which they bequeathed to us. Under 
the leadership of Lincoln and Grant, the sagacious 
Sherman, the brilliant Sheridan, our beloved Burn- 
side, and other devoted and patriotic leaders, hun- 
dreds of thousands of brave men risked their lives, 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. -.} 

tens of thousands died on the field of battle, that 
this Union should not be destroyed. This sacred 
trust is now committed to us, to be cherished as a 
precious legacy from our fathers, and by us in turn 
transmitted to posterity. 

Animated by the memory of this day, by the 
example of the wise and brave men that have gone 
before us, and realizing the responsibilities that rest 
on us as American citizens, let us be true to that 
trust, and, whatever may be our lot or our station, 
register a solemn vow that, come what may, before 
all other earthly things, we will hold the glory, the 
honor, the unity of our country dear to our hearts. 
Attorney-General S. P. Colt, in seconding the 
resolutions, spoke as follows : 

Mr. Chairman : I second the resolutions, the 
appropriateness of which for this occasion, has al- 
ready been commented upon. 

It is most fitting that such resolutions should be 
transcribed upon the lasting records of the town, 
that our children and our children's children may 
forever be reminded of the part we have taken at 
his death, in honoring the great soldier who saved 
our country. 

It is also appropriate that the resolutions after 
being engrossed should be hung in the " Burnside 



24 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

Memorial Hall*' — that building dedicated to our 
own gallant chieftain, the companion in war of 
Grant, who honored him and our town by a visit, 
while President of the Nation. 

Mr. Chairman : I move the adoption of the 
resolutions by a rising vote. 

When the presiding officer put the vote on the 
adoption of the resolutions, the entire large audi- 
ence rose to their feet. 

The quartette then sang, with deep feeling, with- 
out instrumental accompaniment, 

"The Vacant Chair." 

" We shall meet, but we shall miss him, — 

There will be one vacant chair; 
We shall linger to caress him, 

While we breathe our evening prayer. 
When a year ago we gathered, 

Joy was in his mild blue eye; 
But a golden cord is severed, 

And our hopes in ruin lie. 

CHORUS. 

" We shall meet, but we shall miss him ; 
There will be one vacant chair; 
We shall linger to caress him, 

W T hen we breathe our evening prayer." 

Then followed the address by Judge Le Baron 
B. Colt : 
Mr. Chairman : 

From the time it was first known that the disease 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 25 

from which General Grant suffered must prove 
fatal, there has been a deeper and more universal 
expression of grief on the part of the people than 
has ever been witnessed before. This feeling has 
had no sectional or party bounds — it has embraced 
North and South, Democrat and Republican, alike. 
From countless homes, from organizations of every 
kind, military, religious, civil, there has come the 
same message of tender sympathy. Strong men 
have wept when they passed the house where 
Grant lay suffering ; others have remained as 
sentinels during the long hours of the night. Be- 
side the devoted family which surrounded the dy- 
ing soldier has stood, watching and hoping, the 
whole American people, the Confederate as well as 
the Union soldier. And when death came at last, 
we behold the nation's grief finding expression in a 
multitude of touching forms. The tolling of bells 
throughout the land announces that the end has 
come. Old comrades hasten to Mount McGreg' ir, 
begging the privilege of guarding, not with arms, 
but with their hearts, his lifeless form. From all 
quarters of the world come messages of tender 
svmpathy to the afflicted family. The President of 
the United States, the governors of the states, the 
mayors of the cities, announce the event in fitting 



26 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

terms, and, giving expression to the popular voice, 
call for its proper recognition. The stars and 
stripes, wherever found, float at half-mast. The 
land is draped in mourning. States vie with each 
other for the possession of his remains, and the 
people ask that he be buried at the Capital, because 
he belongs to the nation. Monuments are pro- 
jected to perpetuate his fame. Across the ocean, 
in the older home of our race, within those walls 
which contain the shrines of England's greatest 
men, and in the presence of her most distinguished 
representatives, impressive exercises are held, and 
the character and fame of Grant set forth in 
words of burning eloquence from the lips of Canon 
Farrar. 

To-day the country is one vast funeral train. 
The highest dignitaries of the land, civil and mili- 
tary, as well as the humblest citizen, stand at this 
hour beside the open grave of Grant. The blue 
and the gray under the same flag march side by 
side at his bier. Whoever on the face of the earth 
lays claim to the title of American citizen, is a sin- 
cere mourner to-day. What is the cause of all 
this ? Why this universal grief, these habiliments 
of mourning, these funeral ceremonies, under the 
direction of the chief magistrate, and in which 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 2J 

the whole people participate? How does it hap- 
pen that, stripped of his earthly possessions, de- 
prived of power, holding no office for years, placed 
on the retired list of the army only when his days 
are numbered, without even sword or uniform, the 
suffering and death of this simple American citi- 
zen should so affect the country? It is because 
Grant's name is symbolical of national unity, 
power, and greatness ; because his life and deeds 
illustrate what is greatest and best in the national 
character ; because he acquired a fame while living 
such as was never accorded an American citizen, 
" that his death is so widely felt. Grant stands as 
the embodiment of the national idea, and of an in- 
separable union of a reunited people. The ties 
which bind us to the nation, and which connects us 
in so many ways with the struggle of *6i, are sev- 
ered at his death. Our social relations are many 
and complex, springing from common blood, com- 
mon interests, a common history, and a common 
destiny. There are ties which unite us to the fam- 
ily, the community, the state, and nation. The 
familv mourn, and the homestead looks desolate, 
when the head is taken away, because the affec- 
tions and associations which grow up within the 
familv group are rudely severed ; so on the death of 



28 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

Grant, the leader of our armies, the defender and 
preserver of the Union, twice its chief magistrate, 
the great national family mourn, and the land be- 
comes desolate, because the affections and associa- 
tions, the common struggles, sacrifices, and tri- 
umphs which bind us together as one people, have 
received a cruel shock. 

A few years ago the country was divided into 
two hostile camps. The question was one of na- 
tional existence. The welfare and happiness of 
millions of people, of countless generations yet un- 
born, were involved. Were the labors and sacrifices 
of our forefathers in vain? Were we to prove re- 
creant to the sacred trust we inherited? Were 
these free institutions to perish ? Were our national 
hopes and aspirations to be forever destroyed? 
Were the fairest prospects ever held out to any 
people to be blighted? The North said, No ! But 
the task was herculean, and seemed for a time al- 
most hopeless. How could you conquer more than 
ten millions of people, civilized, prosperous, well- 
armed, and spread over nearly a third of a continent? 
Amid discouragement and defeat the country turned 
to Grant. He alone seemed to grasp the magni- 
tude of the contest, and the only means by which 
success could be finally secured. Not any sudden 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 20. 

movement, however brilliant, or any single battle, 
however decisive, could end the war ; but the South 
must be permanently occupied, the opposing armies 
captured or destroyed, the people exhausted. With 
this view, the great water routes which flowed 
through the border states should be controlled, — 
the Ohio, the Tennessee, the Cumberland and the 
Mississippi at the West, and the Potomac and the 
James at the East. In the capture of Fort Henry 
on the Tennessee, Fort Donelson on the Cumber- 
land, and of Vicksburg on the Mississippi, we see 
the carrying out of this plan. With what joy was 
the capture of Vicksburg hailed ! What courage 
and hope were derived from the fact that the Mis- 
sissippi once more ran unvexed to the sea ! Even 
General Halleck, who was slow to put confidence 
in Grant, now wrote him : " In boldness of plan, 
rapidity of execution, and brilliancy of routes, these 
operations will compare most favorably with those 
of Napoleon about Ulm. You and your army have 
well deserved the gratitude of your country, and it 
will be the boast of your children that their fathers 
were of the heoric army which reopened the Mis- 
sissippi River." Vicksburg was followed by Chatta- 
nooga, and then Grant turned his attention to the 
Potomac and the James. The combined plan, of 



30 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

which the battles of the Wilderness, the siege oi 
Petersburg, Sherman's march to the sea, Sheridan's 
brilliant operations in the Shenandoah Valley are 
but parts, and which ended in the surrender of Lee 
at Appomattox, and of Johnston's army, thus effect- 
ing the complete overthrow of the rebellion and ter- 
minating the war, are familiar to all. The master 
mind by which this was accomplished was Grant's. 
The people do not credit those who assert that 
Grant did not rank with the famous generals of 
history. They believe that his great deeds show a 
great character, and military abilities of the highest 
order. They believe he was raised up for the work 
he accomplished. He won victories. He captured 
armies and strongholds. He ended the war. He 
saved the Union. All wars differ in character, 
but for the successful conduct of our war, where 
large bodies of men had to be moved great dis- 
tances, over impassable roads, through rivers, 
woods, and swamps, Grant alone possessed the 
iron will, the unbending courage, the tenacity of 
purpose, the power to overcome obstacles, the calm, 
unerring judgment, and the supreme confidence in 
ultimate success, which was equal to the emergency. 
When we think of his achievements, can it be 
wondered at that the people should show their 
gratitude in the hour of his suffering and death ? 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL. R. I. 31 

Grant is also remembered as the twice-elected 
head of the nation, who turned back the tide of 
inflation, which threatened us with financial dis- 
aster. When he was president, the Geneva arbi- 
tration was skillfully and successfully conducted, a 
policy of peace established with the Indians, the 
public debt greatly reduced, while the country 
grew rapidly in prosperity. The scandals con- 
nected with his administration never touched his 
personal integrity, though they showed that he 
sometimes gave his confidence to corrupt and un- 
scrupulous men. Not only as the successful leader 
of our army and as chief magistrate, is Grant 
known, but his trip around the world made a most 
profound impression on the country. Xo citizen 
of the Republic ever before received such consid- 
eration. Foreign nations vied with each other in 
doing him homage. Kings, princes, and peoples, 
wherever he went, whether in Old England or the 
far nations of the East, showered honors and 
favors upon him. Wherever our country was 
known, he carried with him her name and her 
fame. 

But it is not Grant's deeds, or the high offices he 
held, or the great honors he received, that appeal 
to us so strongly to-day : — it is his character as an 



32 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

American citizen. In whatever position we find 
him, whether at the head of a victorious army, 
with the country kneeling in gratitude at his feet, 
or as President of the Republic, or the companion 
of foreign potentates, or suffering the tortures of 
his fatal malady, he is always the same simple, un- 
selfish, unaffected, uncomplaining, modest man. 
Form and ceremony, the gilded trappings of office 
were distasteful to him. His headquarters at Peters- 
burg were little more pretentious than that of any 
private in the ranks. With no sword by his side, 
in modest attire, and covered with dust, he received 
the surrender of Lee. But if he was simple in his 
tastes, he was also most magnanimous. There is 
no act which has contributed so much to reconcile 
the South and heal the wounds inflicted by the war, 
as the generous terms on which Grant accepted 
Lee's surrender, and the firmness with which, in 
opposition to President Johnson, he insisted on 
having them strictly observed. He would not 
humiliate Lee and his officers by demanding the 
surrender of their swords, while he said the men 
needed their horses to work their farms. Grant 
had no revenge to gratify. He believed the war 
was over, and his only desire was peace. In the 
treatment of his subordinates we discern his kind- 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 33 

ness and magnanimity. He said it was due to the 
officers and men under him that success was 
achieved. He never took credit to himself. He 
always gave more than was due to others. When 
there was a movement to supplant him and put 
Sherman at the head of the army, he wrote to Sher- 
man : " No one would be more pleased at your ad- 
vancement than I, and if you should be placed in 
my position, and I put subordinate, it would not 
change our relations in the least. I would make 
the same exertions to support you that you have 
done to support me, and I would do all in my 
power to make our cause win." In the closing 
days of his life we see brought out in bold relief 
his kind and uncomplaining nature. He bore his 
terrible and prolonged sufferings without a mur- 
mur. His one object was to finish his book, that 
his family might not be left in want. Dr. Douglas 
writes: "The world can know him as a great 
general, as a successful politician, but I know him 
as a patient, self-sacrificing, gentle, quiet, uncom- 
plaining sufferer, looking death calmly in the face, 
and counting almost the hours he had to live, and 
those hours were studied by him that he might 
contribute something of benefit to some other fel- 
low-sufferer. If he was great in his life he was 

3 



34 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

even greater in his death. Not a murmur, not a 
groan, not a sigh, from first to last. He died as he 
lived, a true man." 

During the past generation we have witnessed 
three solemn occasions of national mourning. 
Twenty years ago the people bore Lincoln to his 
prairie home. Four years since the country laid 
Garfield on the shores of Lake Erie. To-day 
Grant is buried in the metropolis of the country, 
in the presence of the bowed heads of millions. 
These men sprang from the people. They were 
of humble origin. They owed nothing to the acci- 
dent of birth or fortune. No one ever could have 
predicted from their early life the great destiny that 
awaited them. But when the country needed their 
services, our institutions afforded them the oppor- 
tunity to rise. What an illustration of the strength, 
the justness, and the grandeur of our free govern- 
ment. Truly this is a government of the people, 
by the people. And these men always proved 
faithful to their trust. They never betrayed the 
cause of the people. They were ever the servants 
of the people, and never their masters. After the 
surrender of Lee, it was with difficulty that Grant 
could be restrained twenty-fours from proceeding 
to Washington to take steps to disband the army, 
and to stop the enormous expense of the govern- 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT KRISTOL, R. I. 35 

ment. In the hour of victory, at the head of the 
best arm } - in the world, a conqueror in the most 
terrible war of modern times, he never dreamed of 
personal aggrandizement, or the perpetuation of 
military power. He had but one thought — the 
good of his country. Another characteristic of 
Lincoln and Grant was their supreme trust in the 
people, and their confidence in a popular govern- 
ment. In the trying times of the war, bowed down 
with discouragement and responsibility, feeling the 
burden was greater than any mortal man could bear, 
it was to the people Lincoln turned for strength and 
hope. And so Grant always made manifest his 
love for, and confidence in the people. He stood 
unaffected while royalty with uncovered head 
crowded about him, but when an address repre- 
senting more than a million of English people 
was presented, his heart was moved. During the 
last months of his life as he lay on his bed of suffer- 
ing and distress, it was to the people he turned 
for comfort and consolation, and he was not disap- 
pointed. In life the people were his strength, in 
sickness and death he found them not ungrateful. 

The last thought of Grant was for his country. 
His last efforts were for national harmony and re- 
conciliation. As we contemplate his life, as the 
earth covers all of him that is mortal, let our 



36 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

thoughts also be directed towards our country. 
Let our faith in the people, and in our form of 
government be invigorated and intensified. Let 
not hostile criticism at any time make us fear that 
our institutions are too liberal. Let us remember 
that as God is just, free and equal laws must be just. 
Let us resolve that henceforth there shall be no 
North or South, East or West, but one people, 
dwelling together in unity, love, and peace. 

The hymn "America," was then rendered by the 
quartette, band, and audience, — the great volume 
of sound rolling forth in grand harmony. 

The exercises in the hall closed with the bene- 
diction, by the Rt. Rev. M. A. D'W. Howe, d. d. 

"The peace of God which passeth all under- 
standing, keep your hearts and minds in the 
knowledge and love of God and of His Son Jesus 
Christ our Lord ; and the blessing of God Al- 
mighty — the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Ghost, be among you, and remain with you 
always. Amen." 

And thus appropriately closed the solemn and 
impressive memorial service, in Town Hall — a 
service so impressive that it will remain a life-long 
cherished memory with many of those who were 
present. 

The hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, 



MEMORIAL SERVICE AT BRISTOL, R. I. 37 

the galleries being occupied by the ladies. On the 
platform were fifty chairs, all filled with the gentle- 
men taking part in the exercises, the committee of 
arrangements, invited guests, and prominent citi- 
zens of the town. 

Decorations. 
The following quite elaborate description of the 
appropriate and tasteful mourning emblems used 
on the public buildings of the town, was furnished 
by Mr. Hayes, the chairman of the committee on 
decorations, and who supervised the same : 

The Burnside Memorial Building was draped on 
the outside, and the Town Hall on the outside and 
inside, by order of the committee appointed by the 

town. 

On the outside of the Town Hall long streamers 
of black and white depended from the top and cen- 
tre of the tower, and over the entrance doors were 
loops of the same material. 

Inside the building, over the inner door as one 
entered, a single festoon of broad black and white, 
with drooping knot in the centre, was placed on a 
black background. On the other side of the door, 
in the hall, the same idea was carried out, except- 
ing that the background was white and the festoons 
were doubled, while on the flat posts on either side 



3S 



DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 



were placed knots with long ends. All the posts 
supporting the gallery were draped in black with 
small white bows. The gallery front was covered 
with black, with large Greek crosses in white, rep- 
resenting one of the army corps badges, at regular 
intervals, excepting at the bend, where a large flag 
was festooned. In the centre of the ceiling a large 
rosette of black and white (puffed) with black 
centre was placed, from which broad black and 
white bands extended in twelve directions to the 
sides and ends of the hall. The stage end of the 
hall was quite elaborately draped, but no descrip- 
tion can give one so good an idea of its appearance, 
as will the accompanying cut, made from a photo- 
graph. 

On the Memorial Building, long streamers of 
black and white depended from the peak of the 
building and from the centre of the tower ; ropes 
of black and white cloth were placed on the eaves 
of the front of the building ; the three windows 
were draped at the top as follows : one in black and 
white bars, another in black and white rays, and 
the third in black and white loops : from the centre 
of the third window (in the tower) extended a pole 
carrying a large flag at half-mast, tied with crape ; 
the Moorish arches were covered with narrow 
blocks of puffed cloth, alternating black and 



40 DEATH OF GEN. U. S. GRANT. 

white ; and the pillars supporting the arches were 
draped in black, with the capitals and bases of 
white ; from the centre of each arch, streamers 
of black and white were hung. 

Other public buildings were draped as follows : 
The Rogers Free Library had a large, and a num- 
ber of small flags, tied with black, over the entrance 
and projecting from the windows. The balcony of 
the Court House and the porch of the Jail were 
draped with festoons of black and white. 

The United States Custom House and Post-Office 
Building was appropriately draped, by order of the 
President, — the same to remain for thirty days. 

The citizens very generally responded to the re- 
quest of the committee to drape their residences 
and shops in mourning, and there were a number 
of elaborately draped fronts, and tasteful emblematic 
displays in windows along the route of march. 

The procession, as it marched in slow time 
through the streets, preceded by the band playing 
dirges, was a marked feature of the day's service, 
and deeply impressed the great throng of people 
who witnessed it. 

As the sun dropped below the horizon, the artil- 
lery again thundered forth its national salute of 
thirty-eight guns — a fitting requiem to the nation's 
dead hero. 



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